Nationalist groups in Russia are becoming increasingly clandestine and dangerous, researchers said on Thursday, speaking after violent riots by extreme-rightists and football supporters shook Moscow late last year. While fewer people died at the hands of nationalists last year than the year before, ultra-nationalist groups are gaining more supporters and becoming more sophisticated, said SOVA Centre, an independent group which monitors hate crimes in Russia. “The young have stopped rallying around their leaders. There are a lot of small groups which prefer to lay low. It’s thousands of people. “They believe they are conducting a guerilla war, not only against migrants but also against the authorities,” said researcher Alexander Verkhovsky as he presented the group’s latest report on xenophobia and racism in the country. “While it was relatively easy to fight them several years ago, it has now become much harder to find them,” he said, chalking up the change in tactics to an increasing pressure from the authorities.
“There has been a change that may have consequences in the future: football fans have joined radical nationalists,” said Verkhovsky. “They used to belong to two different environments that did not trust each other.” In December, scores of football fans and ultranationalists clashed with police near the Kremlin in a protest ostensibly at police handling of the shooting of a Spartak Moscow football fan in one of the most violent riots in recent years. Russia’s tough-talking premier Vladimir Putin has vowed to “respond severely” to the violence and said it was a “disturbing sign”. But many analysts say the Kremlin has deliberately courted nationalists for years and the December riots and the subsequent police crackdown showed that the authorities did not entirely control the situation. “The situation is bad, things have gone too far and it is not clear how to find a way out of it,” said Verkhovsky.
Last year, nationalists killed 37 people and injured 382, said the report co-authored by Galina Kozhevnikova, a founder and director of the SOVA Centre, who passed away earlier this month. By comparison, 84 people were killed and 434 injured in racist attacks in 2009.
AFP
Monday, 14 March 2011
Sunday, 13 March 2011
'Nazi' protesters outnumbered (London, Canada)
What was billed as a neo-Nazi rally outside London’s city hall instead turned into a bizarre shouting match between anarchists and two men who said they were there to protest fluoride in tap water.
The two fluoride protesters were known local white-supremacist Tomasz Winnicki and Dave Ruud, who heads the Northern Alliance, a far-right neo-Nazi group based in London.
Both held signs telling people to go to websites that promote taking fluoride out of city drinking water.
The two were far outnumbered by about 20 counter-protesters who showed up wearing black bandanas over their faces and shouting at the two men to go home.
“Are you a Nazi? Are you a Nazi?” yelled one man at Ruud, who backed away and said he was there to protest fluoride.
The rally was billed as a gathering of Combat 18 members. C18 is a violent neo-Nazi organization that began in England.
City hall security alerted councilors and other staffers of the planned rally on Thursday.
The Free Press reported about the C18 protest on Saturday.
“I’m here to protest fluoride,” Winnicki said, adding he’d heard of Combat 18 but didn’t know any members.
“The city website should have a voting system where we can vote on any issue that comes up and then we can vote ‘Do we want fluoridation?’” Winnicki said.
Winnicki said he'd heard about the neo-Nazi rally through the media and decided to show up to gain more publicity for his anti-fluoride movement.
Winnicki and Ruud held signs directing people to fluoridealert.org and waterloowatch.com, two anti-fluoridation websites.
The issue formed one of the planks of Winnicki’s unsuccessful bid for mayor in the October municipal election included getting rid of fluoride in the city’s tap water as one of its planks.
It's more recently come up at city hall after a group that helped lobby Calgary and Waterloo to take the substance out of its water supplies started lobbying in London.
The counter-protesters often got into the faces of the two white supremacists, yelling at them to leave.
“Word spread quickly about this and we tend to oppose fascists whenever we can,” said Anthony Verberckmoes, one of the counter-protesters. He’s part of an anarchist group called Common Cause.
“They pulled a crafty deflection. And there’s just two of them, which is great. White supremacist and fascism unfortunately has a history in London and in the broader world scene, in Europe and the United States, it’s on the rise.
“We don’t want to see London become a part of that rise.”
Another Londoner, Kara Jarvis, said she was compelled to come out to tell the white supremacists that “hate crime is wrong.”
“Everyone should not be complacent. We are a diverse city and these people are not tolerant and they are not welcome here. We have to let them know that,” she said.
Two uniformed police officers supervised the ongoing shouting match between the anarchist counter-protesters and the two men who said they were there to fight fluoridation. After about 15 minutes, Winnicki and Ruud left.
IFPress.com
The two fluoride protesters were known local white-supremacist Tomasz Winnicki and Dave Ruud, who heads the Northern Alliance, a far-right neo-Nazi group based in London.
Both held signs telling people to go to websites that promote taking fluoride out of city drinking water.
The two were far outnumbered by about 20 counter-protesters who showed up wearing black bandanas over their faces and shouting at the two men to go home.
“Are you a Nazi? Are you a Nazi?” yelled one man at Ruud, who backed away and said he was there to protest fluoride.
The rally was billed as a gathering of Combat 18 members. C18 is a violent neo-Nazi organization that began in England.
City hall security alerted councilors and other staffers of the planned rally on Thursday.
The Free Press reported about the C18 protest on Saturday.
“I’m here to protest fluoride,” Winnicki said, adding he’d heard of Combat 18 but didn’t know any members.
“The city website should have a voting system where we can vote on any issue that comes up and then we can vote ‘Do we want fluoridation?’” Winnicki said.
Winnicki said he'd heard about the neo-Nazi rally through the media and decided to show up to gain more publicity for his anti-fluoride movement.
Winnicki and Ruud held signs directing people to fluoridealert.org and waterloowatch.com, two anti-fluoridation websites.
The issue formed one of the planks of Winnicki’s unsuccessful bid for mayor in the October municipal election included getting rid of fluoride in the city’s tap water as one of its planks.
It's more recently come up at city hall after a group that helped lobby Calgary and Waterloo to take the substance out of its water supplies started lobbying in London.
The counter-protesters often got into the faces of the two white supremacists, yelling at them to leave.
“Word spread quickly about this and we tend to oppose fascists whenever we can,” said Anthony Verberckmoes, one of the counter-protesters. He’s part of an anarchist group called Common Cause.
“They pulled a crafty deflection. And there’s just two of them, which is great. White supremacist and fascism unfortunately has a history in London and in the broader world scene, in Europe and the United States, it’s on the rise.
“We don’t want to see London become a part of that rise.”
Another Londoner, Kara Jarvis, said she was compelled to come out to tell the white supremacists that “hate crime is wrong.”
“Everyone should not be complacent. We are a diverse city and these people are not tolerant and they are not welcome here. We have to let them know that,” she said.
Two uniformed police officers supervised the ongoing shouting match between the anarchist counter-protesters and the two men who said they were there to fight fluoridation. After about 15 minutes, Winnicki and Ruud left.
IFPress.com
ALBANIA POLICE CRITICISED AFTER ATTACK ON ROMA CAMP
Some dwellers in the camp, which was home to roughly 40 families, told local media the attackers arrived at night and beat them with sticks while setting fire to their barracks over several days, pressuring them to relocate. The residents of the camps say the police failed to prevent the attacks and provide protection for the families, who now have moved to live in settlements in Tirana and other cities. It remains unclear if the attack was the result of racism or instigated by the financial interests of real estate developers looking to build in the area. Police denied on Friday that they had disregarded the laws against discrimination of minorities and the protection of children while dealing with the case. According to the police statement, the Roma “initiated the conflict” with their neighbors that then escalated. “We have questioned the Roma about the fire that swept their dwelling but they have refused to testify,” read the statement. According to the Union for Albanian Roma, a Tirana-based NGO, up to 150,000 Roma people live in Albania, part of a community that struggles with discrimination, poor literacy rates and massive unemployment.
Balkan Insight
Balkan Insight
FBI Joins Probe To Nab “Hate-Crime” Killers While Sikh Community Offers $30,000 Reward (USA)
A troubled Sikh community shocked by the shooting of their two elderly members offered a reward of $30,000 for any information leading to the culprits, as the local police said they suspected it to be a hate crime and has called in the FBI to join the manhunt.
The West Sacramento Police in California said they suspect that the tradition turbans worn by the Surinder Singh, 68, and Gurmej Atwal, 78, could have become beacons for an attack on them.
“Because they sported the turbans they might have been singled out,” the police said. The Elk Grove police department said that last week’s shootout would be the first targeting the Sikhs in the city if it turns out to be the hate crime. They also said FBI had been called in as it was suspected to be a hate crime.
While Surinder Singh died on the spot, Atwal is still reported to be in a critical condition and a deeply shocked community in the area have joined together to offer a reward of $30,000 for any information leading to the arrest of the culprits, who shot the two on March 4. This amount is over and above the $5,000 reward offered by a top Islamic body, who strongly condemned the attack.
Sikh men in beards and turbans are often targeted for discrimination by bigots who mistake them for Muslims, the Council on American-Islamic Council-Sacramenton Valley’s Executive Director, Basim Elkarra said.
“The Muslim community offers its condolences and support to the Sikh community in this time of sorrow, he said.
About 100 religious leaders, including ones from the Sikh community gathered at a Gurudwara in California, announcing a rise in the award money to informants that would lead to arrest of those responsible.
The Link
The West Sacramento Police in California said they suspect that the tradition turbans worn by the Surinder Singh, 68, and Gurmej Atwal, 78, could have become beacons for an attack on them.
“Because they sported the turbans they might have been singled out,” the police said. The Elk Grove police department said that last week’s shootout would be the first targeting the Sikhs in the city if it turns out to be the hate crime. They also said FBI had been called in as it was suspected to be a hate crime.
While Surinder Singh died on the spot, Atwal is still reported to be in a critical condition and a deeply shocked community in the area have joined together to offer a reward of $30,000 for any information leading to the arrest of the culprits, who shot the two on March 4. This amount is over and above the $5,000 reward offered by a top Islamic body, who strongly condemned the attack.
Sikh men in beards and turbans are often targeted for discrimination by bigots who mistake them for Muslims, the Council on American-Islamic Council-Sacramenton Valley’s Executive Director, Basim Elkarra said.
“The Muslim community offers its condolences and support to the Sikh community in this time of sorrow, he said.
About 100 religious leaders, including ones from the Sikh community gathered at a Gurudwara in California, announcing a rise in the award money to informants that would lead to arrest of those responsible.
The Link
Saturday, 12 March 2011
Former neo-Nazi becomes leftist after sex change (Germany)
"I have completely broken with the NPD," Strub told German daily Süddeutsche Zeitung this week, referring to the right-wing extremist National Democratic Party (NPD). "I am a true socialist."
Strub was a member of the NPD from 2000 to 2002. Photos show "Horst Strub," as she was known in the years before her sex-reassignment surgery, with cropped hair, a beard and a bomber jacket.
Today, the 35-year old nurse and photographer named Monika Strub is campaigning for the socialist party The Left.
Strub told Süddeutsche Zeitung she is now a victim of far-right harassment, saying she has been threatened multiple times. On Thursday. Strub said her home was vandalised after NPD stickers were placed on her windows and doors.
Meanwhile, The Left party has not tried to bury Strub's political past.
Christoph Kröpel, spokesman for The Left party in the state of Baden-Württemberg, described Strub's history with the NPD as a "youthful transgression" and said she has "fundamentally changed."
He told the paper Strub had so clearly distanced herself from her former party "that there is absolutely no doubt as to her political bearing."
The Local Germany
EU fear of north African migrants 'overblown'
Concerned about the "massive migration movements" from Libya, EU leaders on Friday (11 March) called for extra staff and money for the bloc's border agency and offered financial assistance to north African countries in stemming potential waves of immigrants.
"We need to be very upfront on the question of migratory flows. There are 200,000 displaced persons between Libya, Egypt and Tunisia," French President Nicolas Sarkozy said during a press briefing after an EU leaders' meeting dedicated to the Libyan crisis.
"If we don't deal with them humanely then there is a huge temptation for them to come to Europe and we don't have the wherewithal to deal with them," he said. The French leader warned of a "Lampedusa times ten", in reference to the Italian island just 113 km off the Tunisian coast, which has seen a massive increase in refugee boats arriving in past weeks.
Most of the young, French-speaking Tunisians arriving in Italy are actually France-bound. Right-wing leader Marine Le Pen, a candidate for the presidency in 2012, is set to kick off her pre-campaign on Lampedusa on Monday.
German chancellor Angela Merkel also indicated Europe struck a stern note. "I don't see a future for having more and more people emigrate to Europe. Of course, there is a difference when we are having a civil war situation, but the future for these people is to rebuild their countries on the ground."
In the final conclusions, EU leaders expressed their solidarity for those member states "most directly concerned by migratory movements" and said that the bloc's border agency, Frontex, should receive more personnel and equipment from national governments and extra money from the EU budget.
"The European Union will consult with the countries of the region concerned on financial and technical support to improve the control and management of borders and measures to facilitate the return of migrants to their countries of origin," the text reads. A special plan on "development of capacities to manage migration and refugee flows" is requested from the EU commission by June.
One sweetener, introduced by the more migration-friendly countries, foresees a "comprehensive approach" to migration, including visa facilities and encouraging students and pupils exchanges between the northern and southern Mediterranean shores.
But aid workers on the ground dismiss talk of a "biblical exodus" as Italian authorities have repeatedly put it.
Out of the roughly 250,000 refugees who fled Libya to neighbouring Tunisia and Egypt, the number of people potentially heading to Europe is in the hundreds, Jumbe Omari Jumbe from the International Organisation for Migration told EUobserver from the Tunisian-Libyan border.
"I just came back from a transit camp where there are some 15,000 refugees, mostly Bangladeshi and Bengali, awaiting to be repatriated," he said.
Subsaharan refugees, less than 3,000, were also mostly keen on returning home, except for a couple of hundreds of Somali and Eritrean people who may try to cross over the Mediterranean.
"It's an overblown fear. Leaders should not take advantage of people suffering," the aid worker said. In order to attempt to cross over the sea by boat, migrants usually have to accumulate some money to pay off the middlemen and traffickers. "But most of these people have been stripped of all their belongings, they don't even know where to start," he stressed.
Instead of stirring up fears of massive immigration, the EU should help international organisations such as the UNHCR and the IOM with more money.
With only four flights a day, the 12,000 Bengalis who are awaiting to be repatriated could spend months in the refugee camp. Some have already started "mini riots," Omari Jumbe said.
"There is big support in terms of EU funds, but the problem is that it's piecemeal. One flight to Bengali and back costs 1 million US dollars," he explained.
The IOM has appealed for an extra €35 million from the international community to assist in the evacuation of up to 65,000 migrants caught up in the Libyan crisis. The EU this week upped its humanitarian assistance to €30 million.
euobserver
"We need to be very upfront on the question of migratory flows. There are 200,000 displaced persons between Libya, Egypt and Tunisia," French President Nicolas Sarkozy said during a press briefing after an EU leaders' meeting dedicated to the Libyan crisis.
"If we don't deal with them humanely then there is a huge temptation for them to come to Europe and we don't have the wherewithal to deal with them," he said. The French leader warned of a "Lampedusa times ten", in reference to the Italian island just 113 km off the Tunisian coast, which has seen a massive increase in refugee boats arriving in past weeks.
Most of the young, French-speaking Tunisians arriving in Italy are actually France-bound. Right-wing leader Marine Le Pen, a candidate for the presidency in 2012, is set to kick off her pre-campaign on Lampedusa on Monday.
German chancellor Angela Merkel also indicated Europe struck a stern note. "I don't see a future for having more and more people emigrate to Europe. Of course, there is a difference when we are having a civil war situation, but the future for these people is to rebuild their countries on the ground."
In the final conclusions, EU leaders expressed their solidarity for those member states "most directly concerned by migratory movements" and said that the bloc's border agency, Frontex, should receive more personnel and equipment from national governments and extra money from the EU budget.
"The European Union will consult with the countries of the region concerned on financial and technical support to improve the control and management of borders and measures to facilitate the return of migrants to their countries of origin," the text reads. A special plan on "development of capacities to manage migration and refugee flows" is requested from the EU commission by June.
One sweetener, introduced by the more migration-friendly countries, foresees a "comprehensive approach" to migration, including visa facilities and encouraging students and pupils exchanges between the northern and southern Mediterranean shores.
But aid workers on the ground dismiss talk of a "biblical exodus" as Italian authorities have repeatedly put it.
Out of the roughly 250,000 refugees who fled Libya to neighbouring Tunisia and Egypt, the number of people potentially heading to Europe is in the hundreds, Jumbe Omari Jumbe from the International Organisation for Migration told EUobserver from the Tunisian-Libyan border.
"I just came back from a transit camp where there are some 15,000 refugees, mostly Bangladeshi and Bengali, awaiting to be repatriated," he said.
Subsaharan refugees, less than 3,000, were also mostly keen on returning home, except for a couple of hundreds of Somali and Eritrean people who may try to cross over the Mediterranean.
"It's an overblown fear. Leaders should not take advantage of people suffering," the aid worker said. In order to attempt to cross over the sea by boat, migrants usually have to accumulate some money to pay off the middlemen and traffickers. "But most of these people have been stripped of all their belongings, they don't even know where to start," he stressed.
Instead of stirring up fears of massive immigration, the EU should help international organisations such as the UNHCR and the IOM with more money.
With only four flights a day, the 12,000 Bengalis who are awaiting to be repatriated could spend months in the refugee camp. Some have already started "mini riots," Omari Jumbe said.
"There is big support in terms of EU funds, but the problem is that it's piecemeal. One flight to Bengali and back costs 1 million US dollars," he explained.
The IOM has appealed for an extra €35 million from the international community to assist in the evacuation of up to 65,000 migrants caught up in the Libyan crisis. The EU this week upped its humanitarian assistance to €30 million.
euobserver
'Eta military chief' Arriola arrested in France
Alejandro Zobaran Arriola and three other Eta suspects were seized by French police at a holiday cottage in a remote village near the Belgian border.
One of the other three detainees is also thought to be a senior militant.
Eta's campaign for independence for the Basque region has cost more than 800 lives since 1968 but it called a halt to armed attacks last year.
The four suspects were arrested at a cottage overlooking the tiny hamlet of Willencourt, population 140, south of the port of Dunkirk.
Police swooped on the house, local resident Mickael Catouillard told AFP news agency, adding that there had been a sudden swarm of cars and flashing lights.
Firearms and documents were seized inside the house, Spanish national radio said, citing counter-terrorism sources.
'Odd kind of tourists'
Local hunter Pierre Dufour told AFP that the suspects had moved into the cottage almost two weeks ago, saying they had come to tour the Belgian coast.
"They planned to stay three weeks and they paid for it all up front," he added.
According to the Spanish daily El Pais, the owner of the cottage tipped off police about the men when he found their identity documents suspicious. They had reportedly tried to pass themselves off as students.
"I too found it weird," Mr Dufour said.
"For tourists, they hardly ever went out. One day one of them, a young man, asked me the way to a baker's. He spoke with a strong foreign accent. He was very polite, very friendly."
Mr Arriola - known as Xarla - is believed to be the sixth Eta military chief to be detained since Francisco Javier Lopez Pena was arrested in May 2008.
Eta has been coming under increasing pressure to lay down its weapons and, in January this year, announced that it would cease "offensive armed actions".
But Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero rejected the declaration, saying he wanted the group to be completely disbanded.
Spanish authorities believe their campaign against Eta has crippled its operational capacity, with dozens of arrests - including a number of top leaders - made in collaboration with forces in other countries.
BBC News
Businessman who sold 'terrorist handbooks' online jailed for three years (UK)
The man who used the 7/7 bombings as a “marketing tool” to sell a terrorist handbook was yesterday jailed for three years.
Terence Brown, 47, made £62,000 by selling CDs called the Anarchist Cookbook, which instructed how to make various explosives and enter countries illegally.
Sentencing at Winchester crown court, Mr Justice Blair accepted Brown was not a terrorist. He said: “You admit you used (July 7) as a marketing opportunity to boost sales.
“Motivated only by money, you acted in a completely irresponsible way.
“The information could have been used in further incidents in this country or abroad.”
Brown, from Portsmouth, was earlier found guilty of collecting and distributing material that could have led to attacks.
Imran Khan, defending, said: “Terrorist is a label that will be attached to this defendant for some time to come.
“He has no religious, political or ideological beliefs. This was a man who was simply motivated by making money to live.”
Daily Mirror
Terence Brown, 47, made £62,000 by selling CDs called the Anarchist Cookbook, which instructed how to make various explosives and enter countries illegally.
Sentencing at Winchester crown court, Mr Justice Blair accepted Brown was not a terrorist. He said: “You admit you used (July 7) as a marketing opportunity to boost sales.
“Motivated only by money, you acted in a completely irresponsible way.
“The information could have been used in further incidents in this country or abroad.”
Brown, from Portsmouth, was earlier found guilty of collecting and distributing material that could have led to attacks.
Imran Khan, defending, said: “Terrorist is a label that will be attached to this defendant for some time to come.
“He has no religious, political or ideological beliefs. This was a man who was simply motivated by making money to live.”
Daily Mirror
Friday, 11 March 2011
FAR-RIGHT NPD LEADER ACQUITTED OF INCITEMENT AGAINST SOCCER PLAYER (Germany)
A German court on Wednesday overturned the conviction of Udo Voigt, chairman of the far-right National Democratic Party of Germany (NPD), for inciting racial hatred and defamation against a black German soccer player. Voigt and two other party members were first convicted of the charges in April 2009 and given suspended sentences of seven to 10 months. The men distributed flyers in the run-up to the 2006 FIFA World Cup which appeared to insinuate that defender Patrick Owomoyela was not worthy of a spot on Germany's national team because he is black. The flyers showed the German white jersey with the number 25, at the time worn by Owomoyela, over the title: "White - not just a jersey color! For a real NATIONAL team!" The Berlin state court acquitted the men, saying that the association of the number 25 with Owomoyela alone was not strong enough to prove they were specifically inciting racial hatred against him.
The use of the word "white" could also be interpreted as criticism of manipulation and corruption in football, the court said. The court concluded that the flyers fell under the protection of freedom of speech, and that a xenophobic attitude is not enough to warrant punishment for incitement to racial hatred. The defamation charges were also rejected. Owomoyela and the German Football Association originally filed the charges, with Owomoyela testifying that he had never in his life felt so attacked because of his race.
The Deutsche Welle
The use of the word "white" could also be interpreted as criticism of manipulation and corruption in football, the court said. The court concluded that the flyers fell under the protection of freedom of speech, and that a xenophobic attitude is not enough to warrant punishment for incitement to racial hatred. The defamation charges were also rejected. Owomoyela and the German Football Association originally filed the charges, with Owomoyela testifying that he had never in his life felt so attacked because of his race.
The Deutsche Welle
English Defence League racist gets criminal Asbo after abusing Asian family (UK)
Shane Overton, 38, a member of the English Defence League (EDL), was given the Criminal Anti-Social Behaviour Order, known as a Crasbo, at Doncaster Crown Court.
It bans him from going to any public meeting organised by the far-right EDL and from travelling by train.
Overton, a self-proclaimed local leader of the EDL, pleaded guilty to a racially aggravated public order offence, which happened at Doncaster train station as he returned from an EDL rally in Newcastle on May 29 last year.
He shouted racist and Islamophobic abuse at an Asian couple and their two young children as they waited on the station platform.
It is just the second time a Crasbo has been used against members of the EDL.
Acting detective inspector Simon Bromiley, of Lincolnshire Police, said: "We are extremely pleased with this result.
"We have worked closely with our national partners on this case and we are hopeful that utilising this kind of legislation will enable us to curb Overton's offending and tackle racism and Islamophobia in our community in the future."
Chief Inspector Tom Naughton, of British Transport Police, said: "Racist abuse of any sort is unacceptable, but the nature of Overton's insults levelled at a family minding their own business sitting on the platform were despicable.
"Everyone has the right to travel without fear of abuse or threatening behaviour and when that behaviour is further exacerbated by racist undertones, our stance becomes firmer still."
Overton, of Parker Avenue, off Brant Road, Lincoln, was given a football banning order along with 10 other people in 2001 after trouble at a Lincoln City v Hull City game.
The terms of his Crasbo prevent him travelling on any train or entering a railway station, participating in, organising or controlling an EDL event or from entering in to or loitering outside any mosque, Islamic prayer room, meeting room, school, cultural centre or festival site, or any site under development for these purposes.
DC Andy Haworth, of the National Domestic Extremism Unit, a national police unit which worked alongside the transport police and Lincolnshire Police, said: "It is only the second time a Crasbo of this nature has been granted to individuals participating in EDL demonstrations.
"It is widely anticipated other police forces will follow suit and apply for Crasbos to stop violent individuals from subverting otherwise legitimate, lawful protests.
"While the Defence Leagues is entitled to protest, violence has been a persistent feature of their demonstrations.
"On this occasion, an offence was committed while travelling from a demonstration."
Yvette Levy, the local CPS Criminal ASBO lead, said: "No one should be made to feel fear or concern for their safety purely because of the language they speak or the colour of their skin.
"Overton's victims were subjected to racially offensive language while patiently waiting for their train.
"The extreme views expressed by Overton caused two children to cling to their parents in fear."
Simon Cressy, of the anti-fascist magazine Searchlight, said: "Once again, we see the racist side of the EDL rearing its ugly head.
"Searchlight will be watching closely to make sure Overton stays away from future EDL events."
This is Lincolnshire
Thursday, 10 March 2011
As King Targets Muslims, There Have Been Almost Twice As Many Plots Since 9/11 From Non-Muslim Terrorists (USA)
Tomorrow, Rep. Peter King (R-NY), chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, will hold hearings singling out the Muslim American community for supposedly aiding and abetting domestic radicalization and terrorism.
When asked why he is singling out the Muslim American community and refusing to investigate other forms of terrorism, King has responded by saying that “it makes no sense to talk about other types of extremism, when the main threat to the United States today is talking about al Qaida.”
Yet as a January 2011 terrorism statistics report — compiled using publicly available data from the FBI and other crime agencies — from the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC) shows, terrorism by Muslim Americans has only accounted for a minority of terror plots since 9/11. Since the attacks on the Twin Towers and Pentagon, Muslims have been involved in 45 domestic terrorist plots. Meanwhile, non-Muslims have been involved in 80 terrorist plots.
In fact, right-wing extremist and white supremacist attacks plots alone outnumber plots by Muslims, with both groups being involved in 63 terror plots, 18 more plots than Muslim Americans have been involved in. Here is a breakdown of attacks by group, along with a few examples of plots by some of these groups:
Think Progress
When asked why he is singling out the Muslim American community and refusing to investigate other forms of terrorism, King has responded by saying that “it makes no sense to talk about other types of extremism, when the main threat to the United States today is talking about al Qaida.”
Yet as a January 2011 terrorism statistics report — compiled using publicly available data from the FBI and other crime agencies — from the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC) shows, terrorism by Muslim Americans has only accounted for a minority of terror plots since 9/11. Since the attacks on the Twin Towers and Pentagon, Muslims have been involved in 45 domestic terrorist plots. Meanwhile, non-Muslims have been involved in 80 terrorist plots.
In fact, right-wing extremist and white supremacist attacks plots alone outnumber plots by Muslims, with both groups being involved in 63 terror plots, 18 more plots than Muslim Americans have been involved in. Here is a breakdown of attacks by group, along with a few examples of plots by some of these groups:
Anti-Government/Anti-Tax Extremists: There have been 36 plots by right-wing extremists since 9/11. These attacks include Joseph Stack’s suicide attack on a Texas IRS building and Joshua Cartwright, who became enraged after the election of Barack Obama and “believed that the US Government was conspiring against him.”
KKK/NeoNazi/White Supremacist: There have been 27 plots by white supremacists since 9/11. These attacks include a 2004 letter bombing of the Arizona Office of Diversity and Dialogue that injured three employees.
Unknown/Miscellaneous: There were five attacks that federal crime officials did not categorize.
Christian Extremists/Anti-Abortion: There were three attacks by anti-abortion extremists and Christian extremists. The killing of abortion provider George Tiller is the most prominent of these attacks.
Black Supremacist Cults: There were two plots by black supremacist cults.
Jewish Extremists: There were two plots by Jewish extremists. The most prominent of these was a plot by Robert Goldstein to attack a local Islamic center with home made C4 and other explosives.
Extreme Anti-Immigrant: There were two plots by anti-immigrant extremists. One of these was the attack by Shawn Forde, who murdered a Queens deli clerk and was motivated by racist and anti-immigrant feelings.
Anti-Jewish: There was one plot by an anti-Semitic extremist. Norman Leboon made anti-Semitic threats against Rep. Eric Cantor (R-VA).
Anarchist: There was a single plot by an anarchist. Joseph D. Konopka “wreaked havoc in 13 counties by setting fires, disrupting radio and television broadcasts, disabling an air traffic control system, selling counterfeit software, and damaging the computer system of an Internet service provider.”Given the fact that non-Muslim terrorists account for almost twice as many plots as Muslim terrorists in the United States since 9/11, King’s justification that he is targeting Muslims because they represent the primary threat seems hollow. Additionally, King’s hearings come at a time when Muslim American terrorism and involvement in extremism has actually plummeted in the past couple years, according to a Duke University study put out last month. Moreover, nearly 4 in 10 Al-Qaida related plots in the United States have been broken up thanks to intelligence provided by the Muslim community themselves and 70 percent of recent terror plots in the United States have been foiled by help from Muslim Americans.
Think Progress
Racist shadow rises in Australian politics
The specter of racism has returned to Australian politics with former One Nation MP Pauline Hanson announcing her intention to run for the NSW upper house.
The former One Nation leader is attempting a political comeback, standing as an independent in the run up to the March 26 election.
The controversial Hanson launched her surprise bid for the NSW seat Tuesday night, with the nomination accepted by the NSW Electoral Commission.
Running as part of a group of 16 independents, the divisive Ms Hanson last stood for election to the NSW Parliament in 2003 where her anti-immigration rhetoric and arch-conservative policies angered ethnic communities and failed to gain traction.
Speaking to Xinhua from his office in NSW parliament, NSW Greens MP Ian Cohen said on Wednesday the former One Nation Party leader's return into the national eye was a serious step backwards in Australia's fight against racism.
"Pauline Hanson's election will be a huge threat to our multi- cultural community. It appears there will be a grand conservative coalition in the upper house of parliament which will change the political culture in NSW to a very worrying degree."
News of Hanson's candidacy casts a long conservative shadow over the nations most populous state where a labor government is almost certainly coming to the end of a 16 year run in office.
Fears are growing that a large Liberal-National party Coalition victory could deliver a working majority in the Legislative Council with the support of Christian and Shooters and Fishers party MPs.
Labor says a decision by the Greens not to preference Labor has increased the likelihood of a conservative controlled upper house.
Embattled NSW Premier Kristina Keneally was quick to condemn Hanson's candidacy.
"We absolutely condemn the sorts of racist and discriminatory policies which come from Ms Hanson and parties like One Nation," Keneally said.
The NSW Liberal Party has also said it would offer no preferences to Hanson.
But Hanson shot back on local radio: "I'm not racist."
"I have ... as an Australian ... a right to question immigration and multiculturalism, which I don't believe is helping our country. I don't think there's anything wrong with that," she added.
The right-wing One Nation Party's populist and xenophobic slogans include anti-immigration policies, anti-globalization, demands for renewed tariff protection and bitter attacks on the establishment, governments and politicians while seeking to appeal to "ordinary Australians".
Ian Cohen fears the tone of debate that Hanson's return will engender.
"It will have a massive impact on social issues in this country.. I'm extremely worried," he said.
People Daily
The former One Nation leader is attempting a political comeback, standing as an independent in the run up to the March 26 election.
The controversial Hanson launched her surprise bid for the NSW seat Tuesday night, with the nomination accepted by the NSW Electoral Commission.
Running as part of a group of 16 independents, the divisive Ms Hanson last stood for election to the NSW Parliament in 2003 where her anti-immigration rhetoric and arch-conservative policies angered ethnic communities and failed to gain traction.
Speaking to Xinhua from his office in NSW parliament, NSW Greens MP Ian Cohen said on Wednesday the former One Nation Party leader's return into the national eye was a serious step backwards in Australia's fight against racism.
"Pauline Hanson's election will be a huge threat to our multi- cultural community. It appears there will be a grand conservative coalition in the upper house of parliament which will change the political culture in NSW to a very worrying degree."
News of Hanson's candidacy casts a long conservative shadow over the nations most populous state where a labor government is almost certainly coming to the end of a 16 year run in office.
Fears are growing that a large Liberal-National party Coalition victory could deliver a working majority in the Legislative Council with the support of Christian and Shooters and Fishers party MPs.
Labor says a decision by the Greens not to preference Labor has increased the likelihood of a conservative controlled upper house.
Embattled NSW Premier Kristina Keneally was quick to condemn Hanson's candidacy.
"We absolutely condemn the sorts of racist and discriminatory policies which come from Ms Hanson and parties like One Nation," Keneally said.
The NSW Liberal Party has also said it would offer no preferences to Hanson.
But Hanson shot back on local radio: "I'm not racist."
"I have ... as an Australian ... a right to question immigration and multiculturalism, which I don't believe is helping our country. I don't think there's anything wrong with that," she added.
The right-wing One Nation Party's populist and xenophobic slogans include anti-immigration policies, anti-globalization, demands for renewed tariff protection and bitter attacks on the establishment, governments and politicians while seeking to appeal to "ordinary Australians".
Ian Cohen fears the tone of debate that Hanson's return will engender.
"It will have a massive impact on social issues in this country.. I'm extremely worried," he said.
People Daily
Suspect arrested in case of bomb at MLK day parade (USA)
A federal law enforcement official says a man has been arrested in the case of a bomb placed at a Martin Luther King Jr. Day parade in Spokane in January.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told The Associated Press that federal agents arrested the man Wednesday and are preparing to search a location tied to the man.
The official requested anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the case ahead of an official announcement planned later in the day.
KHQ-TV of Spokane reported that federal and local law enforcement officers had surrounded a home near Colville, Wash., about 80 miles northwest of Spokane. Two T-shirts found inside the bomb were tied to that rural area.
Additional details were not immediately available.
The FBI has said nothing about possible suspects, but public opinion from the beginning focused on some of the white supremacist groups that have brought notoriety to the region in the past three decades. The area once served as headquarters for Richard Butler's Aryan Nations, whose members were lured by the small number of minorities.
Officials for the FBI in Spokane, which is leading the search, declined to comment on the developments Wednesday.
The bomb was found inside a backpack by city workers before the parade started on Jan. 17. The parade was rerouted and the bomb was defused without incident.
Officials for the FBI described the bomb as sophisticated and designed to produce mass casualties.
The bomb was sent to an FBI lab in Quantico, Va., and the agency offered a $20,000 reward for information from the public.
The two T-shirts found with the bomb were tied to Stevens County. One of the shirts was distributed last year at the "Relay for Life" race in Colville. The second shirt — which had the words "Treasure Island Spring 2009" on the front — was from a local theater production in 2009 in the town of Chewelah.
Associated Press
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told The Associated Press that federal agents arrested the man Wednesday and are preparing to search a location tied to the man.
The official requested anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the case ahead of an official announcement planned later in the day.
KHQ-TV of Spokane reported that federal and local law enforcement officers had surrounded a home near Colville, Wash., about 80 miles northwest of Spokane. Two T-shirts found inside the bomb were tied to that rural area.
Additional details were not immediately available.
The FBI has said nothing about possible suspects, but public opinion from the beginning focused on some of the white supremacist groups that have brought notoriety to the region in the past three decades. The area once served as headquarters for Richard Butler's Aryan Nations, whose members were lured by the small number of minorities.
Officials for the FBI in Spokane, which is leading the search, declined to comment on the developments Wednesday.
The bomb was found inside a backpack by city workers before the parade started on Jan. 17. The parade was rerouted and the bomb was defused without incident.
Officials for the FBI described the bomb as sophisticated and designed to produce mass casualties.
The bomb was sent to an FBI lab in Quantico, Va., and the agency offered a $20,000 reward for information from the public.
The two T-shirts found with the bomb were tied to Stevens County. One of the shirts was distributed last year at the "Relay for Life" race in Colville. The second shirt — which had the words "Treasure Island Spring 2009" on the front — was from a local theater production in 2009 in the town of Chewelah.
Associated Press
JEWISH RADIO CANCELS FRENCH FAR-RIGHT INTERVIEW (France)
A Jewish radio station Wednesday cancelled an interview with French far-right leader Marine Le Pen after complaints by Jewish groups that her party was anti-Semitic. Radio J had justified inviting her to come on air Sunday on the grounds that polls appear to show her anti-immigrant National Front has moved beyond marginal status and she could win a first-round presidential vote. But its top political editor Frederic Haziza told AFP on Wednesday that the station had cancelled the interview since it was "impossible to ensure that it would take place in good conditions." It would have been a first for Radio J, which always declined to interview Jean-Marie Le Pen, Marine's father and predecessor as leader of the Front, because of his public comments about Jews that caused outrage. Among complaints from several groups, the Jewish students' union UEJF said the radio invitation was "dangerous and inappropriate," branding the National Front "structurally anti-Semitic and racist." The interview "could give rise to a kind of complacency among the Jewish community and its institutions concerning Marine Le Pen and risks giving her even more exposure," the group said. The deputy leader of the Front, Louis Aliot, said the party planned to sue the UEJF and the anti-Semitism watchdog BNCVA for defamation based on their complaints.
AFP
AFP
Racism conviction for neo-Nazis (Belgium )
A court in the western town of Veurne has convicted three members of the extreme right wing Blood & Honour organisation on charges connected with the staging of several neo-Nazi concerts.
This is the first time that members of Blood & Honour have been convicted on the basis on anti-racism legislation.
One of the concerts took place during a ceremony honouring the Nazi's paramilitary organisation, the SS.
One of the concerts was also covertly filmed by VRT News.
One of those convicted also attended a memorial concert in honour of Ian Stuart Donaldson, the English founder of Blood & Honour.
The court ruled that it was established that the three defendants were involved in the organisation of a neo-Nazi ceremony of remembrance and that during the concerts inflammatory and racist language was openly used.
Two of the three defendants received a three month suspended gaol sentence. Given his record the third will have to serve his three month custodial sentence.
Belgium's anti-racism centre CGKR is upbeat. Jozef De Witte (photo): "We're pleased that there is a conviction. It's an important precedent. At last a court has acted and taken account of the spirit of the law."
Flanders News
This is the first time that members of Blood & Honour have been convicted on the basis on anti-racism legislation.
One of the concerts took place during a ceremony honouring the Nazi's paramilitary organisation, the SS.
One of the concerts was also covertly filmed by VRT News.
One of those convicted also attended a memorial concert in honour of Ian Stuart Donaldson, the English founder of Blood & Honour.
The court ruled that it was established that the three defendants were involved in the organisation of a neo-Nazi ceremony of remembrance and that during the concerts inflammatory and racist language was openly used.
Two of the three defendants received a three month suspended gaol sentence. Given his record the third will have to serve his three month custodial sentence.
Belgium's anti-racism centre CGKR is upbeat. Jozef De Witte (photo): "We're pleased that there is a conviction. It's an important precedent. At last a court has acted and taken account of the spirit of the law."
Flanders News
Tuesday, 8 March 2011
Nationalist party stages "pro-Hungarian" demo (Hungary)
Some 1,000 supporters of the radical nationalist Jobbik party staged a demonstration in Gyongyospata, a small town in northern Hungary, on Sunday, saying that crime had increased in the area.
Jobbik leader Gabor Vona insisted that the protest was not "anti-Gypsy" but "pro-Hungarian".
"We want peace and calm," he added.
Vona said that the government and the national police had failed to ensure public order since the general elections last April, and called on Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Interior Minister Sandor Pinter and police leaders to resign.
Deputy leader of Jobbik Tamas Sneider said his party was against crime in general, but "ethnic crime" was especially unacceptable. He suggested that criminals consituted "ethnically homogeneous groups", which he said could trigger unrest and (anti-Roma) pogroms in the country.
Some 200 police officers were present to secure the demonstration, an unnamed source from the site told MTI.
Polotics.Hu
Jobbik leader Gabor Vona insisted that the protest was not "anti-Gypsy" but "pro-Hungarian".
"We want peace and calm," he added.
Vona said that the government and the national police had failed to ensure public order since the general elections last April, and called on Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Interior Minister Sandor Pinter and police leaders to resign.
Deputy leader of Jobbik Tamas Sneider said his party was against crime in general, but "ethnic crime" was especially unacceptable. He suggested that criminals consituted "ethnically homogeneous groups", which he said could trigger unrest and (anti-Roma) pogroms in the country.
Some 200 police officers were present to secure the demonstration, an unnamed source from the site told MTI.
Polotics.Hu
BILL ON PENALIZING GENOCIDE DENIAL: HANDLING IN DUTCH PARLIAMENT RESUMED
The replies of Christian Union faction, published in a document of 23 pages, to the questions of various factions in the Dutch parliament take the bill to penalise public and deliberate denial of genocide, one step further. The bill which was introduced in 2006 by the Christian Union faction in Dutch parliament (The Dutch House of Representatives), could so far not count on a majority support. This was evident from many critical questions of the factions in the parliament during the written preparation. One of the issues raised was whether such a bill is necessary, assuming that the articles on discrimination and insulting of a group already present in Dutch Penal Law sufficiently cover the criminalisation of genocide denial. Also restrictions on freedom of expression in present Dutch public debate are weighing seriously. There are also many questions about the scope and definition of the term genocide.
The Christian Union party has recently held a roundtable discussion in which several groups have commented on the bill and some like the Centre for Information and Documentation Israel (CIDI) and the Federation of Armenian Organisations in the Netherlands (FAON) have brought forward arguments to move to the explicit criminalisation of genocide denial. The Christian Union faction, as the author of the bill, has in a memorandum of reply among others emphasised the need for explicit criminalisation of genocide denial based on the text and the objectives of the EU Framework Decision of 28 November 2008 on “Combating certain forms and manifestations of racism and xenophobia by means of criminal law”. This decision explicitly assumes the criminalisation of the genocide denial by the Member States. The author of the bill also considers that clarity of legislation is needed, which can not be inferred from the existing case law. In this case law, for example, the fact that the denial of the Holocaust was offensive to surviving Holocaust victims and their immediate families played a role. It is not clear what a judge would decide if there are no longer (Holocaust) survivors or their next of kin.
With regard to freedom of expression, it is among others argued that its protection for example in the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) is not intended for such serious offences of a group. Regarding the concept of genocide, in any case, as examples of genocide are mentioned the Holocaust and the Armenian Genocide, as well as the genocides in Rwanda and Srebrenica. Criteria such as recognition and "general consensus" in this context are also discussed. The coming period will show if, in the current political situation in Holland regarding the election results to Dutch parliament in 2010, a majority in the Dutch parliament will support the bill. It can be expected that later this year the plenary debate will take place on the bill in the Dutch parliament.
Panorama
The Christian Union party has recently held a roundtable discussion in which several groups have commented on the bill and some like the Centre for Information and Documentation Israel (CIDI) and the Federation of Armenian Organisations in the Netherlands (FAON) have brought forward arguments to move to the explicit criminalisation of genocide denial. The Christian Union faction, as the author of the bill, has in a memorandum of reply among others emphasised the need for explicit criminalisation of genocide denial based on the text and the objectives of the EU Framework Decision of 28 November 2008 on “Combating certain forms and manifestations of racism and xenophobia by means of criminal law”. This decision explicitly assumes the criminalisation of the genocide denial by the Member States. The author of the bill also considers that clarity of legislation is needed, which can not be inferred from the existing case law. In this case law, for example, the fact that the denial of the Holocaust was offensive to surviving Holocaust victims and their immediate families played a role. It is not clear what a judge would decide if there are no longer (Holocaust) survivors or their next of kin.
With regard to freedom of expression, it is among others argued that its protection for example in the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) is not intended for such serious offences of a group. Regarding the concept of genocide, in any case, as examples of genocide are mentioned the Holocaust and the Armenian Genocide, as well as the genocides in Rwanda and Srebrenica. Criteria such as recognition and "general consensus" in this context are also discussed. The coming period will show if, in the current political situation in Holland regarding the election results to Dutch parliament in 2010, a majority in the Dutch parliament will support the bill. It can be expected that later this year the plenary debate will take place on the bill in the Dutch parliament.
Panorama
Skinhead Murder Prompts PETA "KKK" Ad (USA)
A T.V. ad produced by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is raising eyebrows among dog owners in the Sacramento area. It is linked to the death of white supremacist David Lynch, who was murdered last week in Citrus Heights. The ad shows a meeting of the American Kennel Club that is attended by a member of the Ku Klux Klan.
When asked if he was at the wrong meeting, he says he fits right in because the organization believes in purity of bloodlines and selective breeding. The ad is designed to get people to adopt mixed breed dogs as opposed to purebreds.
“Whenever somebody buys a dog from a breeder or a pet store a dog from local animal shelter loses that chance for a good home,” said Ashley Byrne, Senior Campaigner for P.E.T.A.
Byrne said Lynch’s murder was an opportunity to make something good of an topical story.
“The death of white Supremacist David Lynch has rekindled the dialogue about those who believe in the purity of the races and bloodlines,” said Byrne.
But dog owner Meribeth Bean, who owns two mixed breed dogs, said P.E.T.A. was “going to the extreme.” She said purebred dog owners love their animals too and that the finger-pointing should go to people who don’t spay or neuter their dogs. In addition, she said she lived in the South with a black family when the Klan was active.
“I felt the vibes of the KKK and what they were trying to do and I was it was hurtful to them,” said Bean.
Dog owner Jennifer Dossman was also taken aback when she viewed the dad, but reacted with nervous laughter. She and others at a Sacramento dog park thought the ad was clever as well as controversial. She acknowledged that some people might be offended, but said “I never really thought about it like that. I see the similarities between the KKK and the AKC). I understand what P.E.T.A. is doing.”
That is of course P.E.T.A.’s goal. But the controversy also means some T.V. stations won’t run the ad. However, P.E.T.A. gets free media coverage as a result of that controversy as well.
Fox 40
When asked if he was at the wrong meeting, he says he fits right in because the organization believes in purity of bloodlines and selective breeding. The ad is designed to get people to adopt mixed breed dogs as opposed to purebreds.
“Whenever somebody buys a dog from a breeder or a pet store a dog from local animal shelter loses that chance for a good home,” said Ashley Byrne, Senior Campaigner for P.E.T.A.
Byrne said Lynch’s murder was an opportunity to make something good of an topical story.
“The death of white Supremacist David Lynch has rekindled the dialogue about those who believe in the purity of the races and bloodlines,” said Byrne.
But dog owner Meribeth Bean, who owns two mixed breed dogs, said P.E.T.A. was “going to the extreme.” She said purebred dog owners love their animals too and that the finger-pointing should go to people who don’t spay or neuter their dogs. In addition, she said she lived in the South with a black family when the Klan was active.
“I felt the vibes of the KKK and what they were trying to do and I was it was hurtful to them,” said Bean.
Dog owner Jennifer Dossman was also taken aback when she viewed the dad, but reacted with nervous laughter. She and others at a Sacramento dog park thought the ad was clever as well as controversial. She acknowledged that some people might be offended, but said “I never really thought about it like that. I see the similarities between the KKK and the AKC). I understand what P.E.T.A. is doing.”
That is of course P.E.T.A.’s goal. But the controversy also means some T.V. stations won’t run the ad. However, P.E.T.A. gets free media coverage as a result of that controversy as well.
Fox 40
MUSLIMS, JEWS WARN EUROPE: MAINSTREAMING OF FAR-RIGHT PARTIES IS UNACCEPTABLE
In Paris, European Muslim and Jewish leaders agree on joint action against extremists
Prominent Muslim and Jewish leaders from across Europe gathered in Paris have pledged to stand together against the rise of far-right xenophobic and racist parties that represent an escalating peril to ethnic and religious minorities across Europe, including Jews and Muslims. Members of the Coordinating Committee of European Muslim and Jewish Leaders, including top communal leaders from Belgium, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Switzerland and the US, announced plans for a series of public events in European capitals, on 9 May (Europe Day). The leaders expressed deep concern about the emergence into the political mainstream of extremist parties in many European countries and declared that it was “totally unacceptable” that several of these parties had been accepted by governing coalitions as tacit partners where they are allowed to help shape the agenda.
Contending that “Islamophobia, anti-Semitism, xenophobia and racism must never be allowed to become respectable,” the leaders expressed disquiet over recent pronouncements by European statesmen including President Sarkozy of France, Chancellor Merkel of Germany and Prime Minister Cameron of Britain, characterizing multiculturalism as a failure; comments that have been cited by far-right parties as evidence that they are winning the battle for public opinion in Europe. Promising to press European decision-makers not to co-operate in any way with extremist parties, the Jewish and Muslim leaders vowed: “We will not allow ourselves to be separated, but will stand together to fight bigotry against Muslims, Jews and other minorities. An attack on any of us is an attack on all of us.” Citing studies which show that anti-Semitism and Islamophobia are both growing rapidly in countries across Europe, the communal leaders affirmed that “Jews and Muslims are equal stakeholders in Europe, not expendable guests, and must therefore enjoy the same rights as everybody else. Appeasing those that sow the seeds of hatred and division is not only morally wrong, but will have disastrous consequences for Europe if allowed to continue.”
The first meeting of the Coordinating Committee was initiated by the New York-based Foundation for Ethnic Understanding (FFEU), the World Council for Muslim Inter-Faith Relations (WCMIR), and the World Jewish Congress (WJC), and is a follow up to the first annual Gathering of European Muslim and Jewish leaders, which was launched in Brussels last December - see www.worldjewishcongress.org/en/events/10. At the time, European Council President Herman Van Rompuy received the group and endorsed its aims.
WCMIR’s European chair, British Imam Abduljalil Sajid, declared: “Islamophobia and anti-Semitism represent the sharp end of racism in Europe, so Jews and Muslims must fight them together, and prevent anyone from turning us into scapegoats. At the same time, Europeans of all backgrounds should come together to defend basic European and universal values of democracy, pluralism and mutual acceptance.”
FFEU President and WJC Vice President Rabbi Marc Schneier, who successfully initiated similar activities between Muslims and Jews in America together with the Islamic Society of North America, declared: “Although much of the venom of extremist and populist parties is directed these days against Muslims, it should not be forgotten that several of the far-right parties, including the National Front in France, have histories replete with anti-Semitism. On 9 May, we will gather in Paris and elsewhere to say that the rise of such parties across Europe is menacing to both of our communities, as well as to basic democratic values of pluralism and tolerance. If Europe wants to remain true to its ethical and spiritual foundations, it must embrace people from different cultures, religions and ways of life. If not, it will not only fail as a concept, it will lose its soul.”
World Jewsih Congress
Prominent Muslim and Jewish leaders from across Europe gathered in Paris have pledged to stand together against the rise of far-right xenophobic and racist parties that represent an escalating peril to ethnic and religious minorities across Europe, including Jews and Muslims. Members of the Coordinating Committee of European Muslim and Jewish Leaders, including top communal leaders from Belgium, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Switzerland and the US, announced plans for a series of public events in European capitals, on 9 May (Europe Day). The leaders expressed deep concern about the emergence into the political mainstream of extremist parties in many European countries and declared that it was “totally unacceptable” that several of these parties had been accepted by governing coalitions as tacit partners where they are allowed to help shape the agenda.
Contending that “Islamophobia, anti-Semitism, xenophobia and racism must never be allowed to become respectable,” the leaders expressed disquiet over recent pronouncements by European statesmen including President Sarkozy of France, Chancellor Merkel of Germany and Prime Minister Cameron of Britain, characterizing multiculturalism as a failure; comments that have been cited by far-right parties as evidence that they are winning the battle for public opinion in Europe. Promising to press European decision-makers not to co-operate in any way with extremist parties, the Jewish and Muslim leaders vowed: “We will not allow ourselves to be separated, but will stand together to fight bigotry against Muslims, Jews and other minorities. An attack on any of us is an attack on all of us.” Citing studies which show that anti-Semitism and Islamophobia are both growing rapidly in countries across Europe, the communal leaders affirmed that “Jews and Muslims are equal stakeholders in Europe, not expendable guests, and must therefore enjoy the same rights as everybody else. Appeasing those that sow the seeds of hatred and division is not only morally wrong, but will have disastrous consequences for Europe if allowed to continue.”
The first meeting of the Coordinating Committee was initiated by the New York-based Foundation for Ethnic Understanding (FFEU), the World Council for Muslim Inter-Faith Relations (WCMIR), and the World Jewish Congress (WJC), and is a follow up to the first annual Gathering of European Muslim and Jewish leaders, which was launched in Brussels last December - see www.worldjewishcongress.org/en/events/10. At the time, European Council President Herman Van Rompuy received the group and endorsed its aims.
WCMIR’s European chair, British Imam Abduljalil Sajid, declared: “Islamophobia and anti-Semitism represent the sharp end of racism in Europe, so Jews and Muslims must fight them together, and prevent anyone from turning us into scapegoats. At the same time, Europeans of all backgrounds should come together to defend basic European and universal values of democracy, pluralism and mutual acceptance.”
FFEU President and WJC Vice President Rabbi Marc Schneier, who successfully initiated similar activities between Muslims and Jews in America together with the Islamic Society of North America, declared: “Although much of the venom of extremist and populist parties is directed these days against Muslims, it should not be forgotten that several of the far-right parties, including the National Front in France, have histories replete with anti-Semitism. On 9 May, we will gather in Paris and elsewhere to say that the rise of such parties across Europe is menacing to both of our communities, as well as to basic democratic values of pluralism and tolerance. If Europe wants to remain true to its ethical and spiritual foundations, it must embrace people from different cultures, religions and ways of life. If not, it will not only fail as a concept, it will lose its soul.”
World Jewsih Congress
Monday, 7 March 2011
Nick Griffin and the Nazi flag dilemma. It's BNP Facepalm time again! (UK)
Yesterday on this blog we posted an item about Nick Griffin meeting with Welsh Neo-Nazi Bryan Powell in Swansea on Saturday the 5th of March.
Really un-surprisingly the reality avoidance “We Adore Griffin” denial chumps aka the Nationalist PRATriots have claimed that the photo below of Brian at home in front of the Nazi flag is fake because (get this) the flag is the wrong way round.
Now this is coming from people that “KNOW” which way the Nazi flag should be hung so we should really respect their opinion.
Um, no we don't respect their opinion, basically on anything.
The image in question has been on-line for ages, and it is very, VERY well known that the Welsh Defence League (WDL) members in Swansea were Neo-Nazis.
Sorry I should say “Are Neo-Nazi’s”, as the Welsh Defence League has disbanded due to (don’t’ laugh) racist infiltration. This huge post could be a hint as to what inazifiltration could be responsible for that.
Anyway here’s another image of Brian doing his Nazi grove thang. No it’s not fake.
Nor are they doing a white supremacist version of the Saturday Night Fever dance.
Nor are they doing a white supremacist version of the Saturday Night Fever dance.
Finally a documentary made by BBC Wales that exposes the Neo-nazi’s in the WDL that Brian was a part of. (Although the fash will claim that its probably a iluminati lefty conspiracy made up thingy with actors and Pixar animation.)
I would like to post that this is guaranteed to clear up the ludicrous claims that it’s all fake and lies and does prove that Nick Griffin did spend Saturday night in the company of a Neo-Nazi.
But I doubt it.
It’s much easier for them dance merrily off into fantasy land of ignorance and delusions than except that this is true.
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